Buffer



Jan- 29 G. A. LYON BUFFER Original Filed 0030.35, 1921 INVENTOR.

A TTORNEY.

- tageous Patented Jan. 29, 1 924.

UNITED STATES 1,481,965 PATENT OFFICE.

, enema swam: won, or. rmmnaunm, rnnnsrnvmm norm.

Application med October 25, 1921, Serial No. 510,882. Renewed October 20, 1883.

State of Pennsylvania, have made a certain new and useful Invention relating to Buf-' fers, of which the following is a specification, taken in connection with accompanying drawings.

This invention. which is a continuation in part of that described in my co-pendmg application, Serial No. 424,685 filed November 17, 1920, relates especiallyto resilient buffor or bumper devices for automobiles or other vehicles in which the spring steel or other resilient strips or members which may comprise end loops and integral or other attaching members have connected thereto a contact member having vertically separated or extended contact portions which have angularly bent or arched stifi'ening Iportions or sections so as to have considera 1y greater stiffness. This contact member may be forged or stamped out of a suitable sheet or piece of spring steel or the like and may be formed and shaped up in presses or by drop forging methods which may in some cases suitably thicken and strengthen certain parts of the contact member and. if desired, form stifi'eningribs or edge flanges" on various parts of the same where additional strength ors-tifiness is desirable. In many cases it is advantageous to have this contact member adjustably or definitely connect the lateral portions of the buffer front to-which the ends of the contact connecting member may be clamped, bolted, or otherwise secured and for these purposes it isadvanto form the connector portions of these co-operating stri s or members of the bufi'er with more or ess intermeshing or co-operating aligning cross section as by anularl bending or arching the sameso that t eir a ignment is promoted as well as considerably increasing their stiffness and strength against collision impact. Such contact connecting members may in some cases have two or more vertically separated contact portions and may have adjacent the central part of the buffer a generally diamond shaped or lenticular outline around which the generally parallel or uniform width contact portions may extend. If desired, howltd ever, several substantially parallel contact portions or plate sections may extend across the central part of the buffer and be formed of angularly bent or arched stiffened cross section with or without edge ribs or flanges to further stifi'en the same. The lateral connecting portibns of these contact connecting the co-operating connector portions of the other buffer stri s or members and, if deslred, integral amping members or portions may be formed on the ends of this connecting member to more or lessextend around or enclose the co-operating buffer strips and adjustably or otherwise connect them thereto.

In the accompanying drawings showing in a somewhat diagrammatic way various illus- ,trative embodiments of the invention Fig. 1 is a front perspective view of one form of buffer.

Figs. 2 and 3 are enlarged transverse sections'thereof taken along the lines 22 and 3-3.

,Fig. 4 is a front perspective view of another illustrative construction.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged transverse section thereof taken along the line 5-'-5 and Flg. 6 is a front perspective view of still another construction.

The automobile bufl'er may have any desired or suitable construction and preferably comprises one or more pieces of spring ste strip which may in some cases be advantageously arranged in overlapping or reinforcing position as in the standard Lyon type buffer. As indicated in Fig. l the spring strip buffer members may comprise end loops 3, 7 and, if desired, the co-operating attaching members 1, 5 may be integral therewith and joined to the end loops by the curved resilient portions 2 and 6, of the strips. These strips may advantageously comprise inturned connector portions extending toward or across the central art of the buffer front and, as indicated, t ese connector portions may be given a stifiened reinforced cross section as by arching or angularly bending them from a point adjacent the end loops which are in most cases left flat so as to secure a maximum resilient bending action. If desired, these connector portions may extend inward to or adjacent the cooperating attaching members of the bufler and may end at about the points 4, 8 so as to be adjustably or permanently clamped or'connected to the co-operating contact connecting member which may advantageously have a vertically wide con- 00 members may in many cases beclamped to tact face at least adjacent the centre of the buffer. A diamond shaped contact member is shown in Fig. 1 as comprising several separated contact faces or portions such as 11, each of which may comprise several angularly bent stiffened faces 13 as shown in Fi 1 and 3. This materially increases the sti ness of the member and also improves its appearance especially where a substantially diamond shaped hole or central aperture 12 is formed in this contact connecting member. These angularly bent faces 13 may merge together adjacent the ends of the connecting member 17, 18 which, as indicated in Fig. 2, are given a similar angularly bent cross section in which the two sides or portions may be arranged at an angle of 120 to 130 more or less. These different angularly bent members thus resemble to a, considerable extent the diamond bar type of buffer and where these angularly bent or other aligning cross section members overlap or co-operate they have an important aligning actlon when clamped or bolted together so as to materially promote the vertical alignment of the co-operating members. One or more enclosing clam ing devices such as 14, 15 may be arranged around the connector portions on each side of the buffer so as to tightly clamp them together when the co-operating bolts 16 are tightened. This arrangement allows the end loops to be laterally adjusted and securely clamped in adjusted position so that the buffer can be used with automobile frames having the usual range of widths.

Fig. 4 shows another illustrative arrangement in which the inturned connector portions 23 extending inward from the end loops are shown as having arched stiffened cross section corresponding to the arched connector portions 20 adjacent the ends 21, 22 of the contact connecting member 18.

This member may, as indicated, have several substantially parallel contact portions or faces 19 each of which may be formed with arched or circularly bent cross section as indicated in Fig. 5, this cross section being carried out in the curved or angularly bent junction portions 20 which are thus considerably stiffened and strengthened against collision stresses. Generally similar clamping or connecting devices 25 may be used in this case to adjustably or otherwise clamp the co-operating or connecting portions of the buffer together and hold them substantially rigidly in adjusted position.

Fig. 6 shows still another illustrative arrangement in which the contact connecting member is of generally lenticular shape and has a similarly shaped central opening 26, if desired. The upper and lower contact portions of this member may each be of angularly bent or diamond bar cross section, the angularly bent faces 13 being arranged about as indicated in Fig. 2. The outwardly extending connector ortions 27, 28 may be of similar angularly ent stiffened cross section so as to have. desirable aligning co-operation with the connector portions 9, 10 connected to the end loops 3, 7 of the buffer strips. These connector portions may be clamped or bolted together in any suitable way and one or more clamping devices such as 14 may be used in connection therewith so as to hold the strips tightly in adjustedposition when the bolts 16 are tightened.

Thisinvention has been described in connection with a number of embodiments, forms, proportions, parts, arrangements, materials, methods of manufacture, connection and use, to the details of which disclosure the invention is not of course to be limited, since what is claimed as new and whatis desired to be secured by Letters Pat- 8:!

ent is set forth in the appended claims:

1. The -automobile bufi'er comprising two spring steel strip members each havin a rearwardl extending attaching mem er, and end loop and an inwardly extending connector ortion havin a forwardly bent V-sectione stiffening a igning cross section, a co-operating contact connecting member of 5 ring steel plate havin outwardly exten ing connector portions ormed with similarly bent V-sectioned aligning cross section co-operating with the connector portions of said spring strip members, said cont-act connecting member having vertically separated upper and lower contact 1 portions of similarly stiffened angularly bent cross sec-tion to form a generally diamond shaped contact member at least three times as high as said strip members adjacent the central part of the buffer, and clamping devices to rigidly hold together the co-operating connector portions.

2. The automobile buffer comprising two spring steel strip members each having an portions.

3. The automobile buffer comprising sprin steel strip members comprising rearwardl y extending attaching members, flat sectioned resilient end loops and inwardly extending connector portions having an an- 130 necting member 0 gularly bent stifiening aligning cross section, a co-operatin open centre contact conspring steel plate having outwardly extendin connector portions formed with angular y bent aligning cross section co-operating with the connector portions of said spring strip members, said contact connecting member having vert1- cally separated upper and lower contact r-tions of similarly stifiened an larly nt across section to form a vertica ly extending generally diamond shaped contact member adjacent the central part of the butfer, and c amping devices to rigidly hold together the co-operating connector portions in adjusted position.

t. The automobile buder comprising spring steel strip members com rising flat sectioned resilient end loops an inwardly extending connector portions having an angularly ent stifi'ening aligning cross section, a cooperating contact connecting member of spring steel plate havinfg outwardly eaten ing connector portions ormed with angularly bent aligning cross section co-operating with the connector portions of said spring strip members, said contact connecting member having vertically separated upper and lower contact portions to term a generally diamond shaped contact member adjacent the central part of the bufier, and

' clamping devices to rigidly hold together till the co-operating connector ortions.

.5. The automobile bu er comprising spring steel strip members comprising end loops and an inwardly extending connector portion having forwardly bent stiffening aligning cross section, a cooperating contact connecting member of spring steel plate having outwardly extending connector portions formed with similary bent aligning cross section co-operatin tor portions of saidsprlng strip members, said contact connecting member having upper and lower contact portions to form a vertically extending contact member adjacent the central part of the buffer, and onclosing clamping devices to hold together the co-operatmg connector portions.

6. The automobile bufi'er comprising spring steel strip members comprising en loops and inwardly extending connector portions having forwardly bent stifiening aligning cross section, a cooperating contact connecting member having outwardl extending connector portions formed wit similarly bent aligning cross section co-opcrating with the connector ortions of said sprin strip members and c ampi devices to ho d together the cooperating connector portions.

7. The automobile buffer comprising a bufier front having resilient end loops and inwardly extending connector portions having forwardly bent V-sectioned igning with the conneccross section and a one piece diamond shaped contact connecting member having vertically separated contact portions adjacent the central part of the buder and having laterally extending connector portions of similarl bent aligning cross section co-operating with said inward y extending connector portions.

8. The automobile bufier com rising a buffer front having resilient end loops and inwardly extending connector portions hav- 111% forwardly bent aligning cross section an a one piece contact connecting member having vertically se arated contact portions adjacent the centre part ofthe buder and having laterally extending connector portions of similarly bent aligning cross section co-operating with said inwardly estendin connector portions.

9. To automobile buder com rising a bufier front having resilient end loops and inwardly extending connector portions and a connected one piece contact member having vertically separateddiamond shaped contact rtions adjacent the central art of the uder of forwardly bent stifiening cross section.

10. The automobile binder comprising a louder tront havin inwardly extending connector portions an a connected contact mem her having vertically separated contact portions adjacent the central part of the bufier of forwardly bent stidening cross section.

ll. The spring steel contact connecting member adapted for use with resilient front strip buders and formed with vertically separated central portions and with laterally extending connector portions ada ted to cooperate with connector portions o the louder and be clamped in adjusted position with respect thereto, said portions of said contact connecting member being formed with forwardly bent V-SeCtlOllBd stiffened-cross section and forming a substantially diamond shaped central contact portion for the buder.

12. The spring steel contact connecting member adapted for use with resilient front strip bud'ers and formed with vertically separated central portions and with laterally extending connector portions ad'a ted to cooperate with connector portions 0 the bufier and be clamped thereto, said portions of said contact connecting member being formed with forwardly bent if-sectioned stidened cross section.

13. The contact connecting member adapt ed for use with resilient front strip bufiers and formed with verticall separated central portions and with latera ly extending connector portions adapted to co-operate with connector portions of the butler and be clamped in adjusted position with respect thereto, said central portions of said contact connecting member being formed with angu=' till,

The contact connecting member adpted for use with resilient front strip bu ers and formed with vertically separated cen- I 1,4Si,965 I tions of the buffer, said portions of said contact connecting member being of substantially uniform width and formed with forwardly bent stiflt'ened cross section and forming a substantially diamond shaped central contact portion for the buffer.

16. The open wntre spring steel contact 'connecting member adapted for use with ree silient strip buffers and formed with verti-- cally separated central portions, said portions of said contact connecting member being of substantially uniform width and formed with forwardly bent stiffened cross section.

- GEORGE ALBERT LYON. 

